Fishing, Foreplay and Monta: A Wild Weekend in the NBA Playoffs
The opening round of the NBA playoffs didn’t want to end, the league mandated they must: For the first time in Association history there were five Game 7’s this weekend, making for an orgy of do-or-die ball that had us glued to the set.
Donald Sterling and Dick Jokes: 10 Moments from the NBA Playoffs
It’s been must-see TV all the way through (except for Heat/Bobcats … that series was a joke,) but now that the first round is in the rearview, it’s on to round two. But before we move on, let’s recap what we learned during elimination weekend, including the culmination of the so-called “feud” between Brooklyn’s favorite rap son and Toronto’s biggest frontrunner, Dame’s dash and foreplay … lots of foreplay.
1. Brooklyn Go Hard: As rap beefs go, the “feud” between Jay Z and Drake has already put us to sleep. Art (don’t blame us), fondue and lacrosse … that’s foie gras, not beef. Besides rapping, singing and selling lint rollers, Drake’s other talent seems to be getting himself caught in awkward, unintentionally hilarious moments that wind up as Photoshop gold. So when Champagne Papi showed up to the Barclays Center on Friday night, sitting mere feet from his so-called “rival,” his self-unawareness got the best of him yet again. The Raptors went on to win Game 6, but the Nets closed the series out in Game 7 on Sunday, and we fully expect Drake to be in Miami like this on Tuesday. Dude never learns.
2. Oakland Soldier: Damian Lillard grew up on the mean streets of Oakland, and played on the same courts that created West Coast basketball royalty like Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and Demetrius “Hook” Mitchell. So at the end of Game 6 in Portland, after Superman and Beardman thought their heroics were enough for the Houston Rockets to force a Game 7 back at their house, Dame quickly let them know they had to get the hell out of his. Dr. Jack would’ve been proud.
3. Lots of 4 (point) Play: In an 82-game NBA season, you may only see a four-point play happen a handful of times. In the first round of the playoffs this year, there were 14 of them. And as crazy as Kevin Durant’s was in Game 2 of the Thunder’s series with the Memphis Grizzlies, Steph Curry’s make in the Warriors’ Game 7 against the Clippers may have been the craziest one of all. Too bad they still lost.
4. Monta Ellis Didn’t ‘Have it All:’ On Sunday, Monta struggled mightily in San Antonio. But if it weren’t for his ridiculous 29-point outburst in Game 6, the Mavs wouldn’t have even made it to Game 7 at the AT&T Center. Ellis’s first season in Dallas wasn’t as bad as some predicted, and we think the Mavericks have a pretty good future with him around. Or at least a thoroughly entertaining one.
5. Fishing Has Never Been So Much Fun: The Inside the NBA crew has made it a tradition to send eliminated teams off in style with their “Gone Fishing” photos. But these unofficial ones of the Rockets, Bulls, Mavericks and Hawks (to name just a few), created by @UncleHemp are way more hilarious. Fish on, Kanye.